Junior Surf Information Guide & FAQs 2017/18 Season 1
1. What is the purpose of the junior surf program at Sumner? Sumner s junior surf program focuses on having fun, understanding beaches and waves, learning how to be safe in the surf, and participating in sports activities on the beach and in the water on Sunday mornings in summer. The children team up with a great group of friends to develop their competitive surf skills and knowledge of the beach and waves. There s a big focus on everyone getting involved including parents, some of whom go on to achieve their bronze lifeguard award. Canterbury Surf Lifesaving run a number of carnivals and events throughout the season including junior surf carnivals, a twilight series, the Junior Canterbury Championships, and the Southern Region Junior Championships. We encourage anyone who is interested in competing to get involved and have fun! Junior surf runs into our rookie program where we encourage athletes to start their training to become a fully qualified lifeguard. Rookies are placed on patrols and overseen by the patrol captain who ensures that they learn the ropes of patrolling our beach. From here we often see members come all the way from the junior ranks to help run the club. Note: while the junior program focuses on surf skills and confidence in the water, it is not a learn-to-swim program. Swimming is fundamental to surf lifesaving and we encourage all juniors to improve their swimming through regular training and lessons. 2. How do the age groups work? The group you are in is determined by your age on 30 September as outlined in the table below. Age on 30 September Surf Age Group 7 Under 8s 8 Under 9s 9 Under 10s 10 Under 11s 11 Under 12s 12 Under 13s 13 Under 14s The age cut off dates do sometimes split friends into different groups. While we appreciate that kids want to be with their friends, we are firm on keeping them in their correct age group, as this is the team they will compete with in competitions and ultimately lifeguard with, if they decide to stay with the surf programme. 3. What time do club days start and finish? We start promptly at 9.30am with a briefing over general beach conditions and any notices about upcoming competitions, etc. The U8s to U11s finish at 10.30am and the U12s to U14s finish at 11.00am but is dependent on conditions. 2
If it s a great summer day the session will often go past the official finish time usually at the demand of the kids! If you need to leave early please advise your coach. Finishing by 11.00am means the Sunday patrol can set up and have full access to the gear that is sometimes used by junior surf, for example the IRB and the 4WD bike. Juniors are of course welcome to stay on and use appropriate boards (see question 9) and swim between the flags. Club days always conclude with a gold coin donation sausage sizzle a chance to refuel, warm up, and chat with other families. Refer to the annual program for the schedule of club days, board paddling and competitions. We very rarely cancel a club day, but in the event of extreme adverse weather, you will be advised by your coach. 4. How are conditions assessed on club days? Athletes safety is the primary concern. A risk assessment of the sea conditions is undertaken by the coaches on club day mornings to determine what activities will be done. Age group coaches will refine this further based on the abilities of athletes within each group and the number of parent helpers able to assist in the water. 5. What do we do on a club day? Club days focus on two areas. First, learning some fundamentals about lifeguarding the beach, surf, safety in the water, etc. Second, beach and water activities to prepare athletes for club competitions. Having fun, pushing yourself and contributing to the team are strongly emphasised. For the newcomers (especially the U8 to U10 year olds) there s a focus on building water confidence. As athletes progress through the age groups, the activities become more demanding such as the distance to swim and paddle, depth of water, size of surf so it is important to gain confidence early. An environment of having fun and being with kids of the same age greatly helps with this. 6. What do I bring and what do I wear? The official uniform for carnivals is red togs (no board shorts), a Sumner surf lifesaving hat, and high visibility vest. On club days any coloured togs are fine along with a wetsuit. The club will supply a hat on your initial membership sign up. High viz vests are also supplied with a contribution towards the cost. Please come prepared for all conditions. Full wetsuits are highly recommended, particularly before Christmas when the water is still cool to cold. Note: if you forget to bring your high viz-rash vest on a club or competition day you will not be permitted in the water! No exceptions. 3
7. Where do I buy the uniform? Hats and high viz vests are available from the club along with hoodies. Please check the club web site for further details. Availability of red togs changes from season to season. Your coach will advise where you can purchase these from once we know. Wetsuits can be purchased from any surf retailer. Ask your coach if you need advice on the best type of wet suit. 8. What is a carnival and what should I take? Carnivals are great fun. They are the chance to pit your skills against athletes from the other Canterbury clubs in a series of beach, water, team and individual activities. They tend to run from about 8.30am to 1.00pm but, as always, are dependent on conditions. The Southern Region Junior Championships (mid Feb) is a two-day event held alternately in Canterbury and Otago. The Canterbury Championships (early March) run until mid to late afternoon including the prize giving. Your coach will run you through what events make up competitions. It is important to be prepared for all weather conditions at carnivals. Sometimes it can be an overcast day with a cold easterly. Athletes are in and out of the water in between events so can get cold quickly. It s crucial to bring two towels, dry warm clothes, even a hot water bottle, and lots of food and drink more than you would expect to. Also remember the club uniform red togs, high viz vest, and a Sumner surf lifesaving hat. Please refer to the annual program for the schedule of carnivals and competitions (note dates can change). 9. What board am I allowed to use? U11 to U14 year olds will be advised by their coach as to time and place of board training. You will use a glass board but some of the U11 year olds will continue to use 6 soft boards. U10 and U9 year olds use 6 soft boards. U8 year olds use boogie boards. There are no additional board training sessions for U8 to U10 year olds. 10. When can I use a board? Club days and board training days, as well as Saturdays and Sundays during patrol hours. You are only allowed to take out a board that your coach has deemed suitable for safety and the longevity of our boards please respect this. 4
11. What are my responsibilities when using club gear? Please treat all club gear with care and respect, particularly the boards. Carry them, don t drag them when out of the water, and control them accordingly in the ocean. Whenever you use a board, you are responsible for returning it to the correct storage container, rinsed and free from sand. If you do ding or damage a board, please tell your coach so it can be repaired. 12. What is the 200m badge? The 200m Qualification is the ability for an athlete to swim 200m under a target time and to continuously tread water for 1 minute. The target time for the Sumner club is 5 minutes. It is a requirement that all U11 to U14 year old athletes have the 200m badge or they will not be able to compete in water events at competitions, or use 6 or glass boards at training. Depending upon swimming ability, U8 to U10 year old athletes are strongly encouraged to complete a 200m badge as well. In early November (date and place to be confirmed) we run a 200m swim for all athletes. If you are unable to make this, ask your swimming coach to do the test directly with you. The club will need a copy of the time with the coach s signature. 13. What is expected of parents / caregivers at Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club? On normal Sunday club days we need help in the water, particularly with the U8 to U11 year olds. Typically, this is in waist deep water or shallower. We don t need trained lifeguards but we need people who are confident swimmers and are happy to be in the water. We require a ratio of 1 adult to 5 children. If we don t have that we will not be able to undertake water activities on that day. If water isn t your thing, there are lots of other ways to help out on the beach or at the club, such as cooking the BBQ or helping to put gear away. On carnival days we need help unloading and loading boards on the trailer, setting up the tent, and generally watching out for each other. Oh, and lots of support and cheering! We are always looking for parents who are keen to coach or manage. Please contact Andrew or Wayne (details below) if you re interested in helping out. It s great fun and the kids love it when mum or dad gets involved. Lifeguarding is all about volunteering and community service. We greatly appreciate your help to run the club. For further information on what we expect from parents and care givers, as well as a description of the code of conduct, please refer to the club website. 14. Further information If you have any further questions, please see the website or contact the junior administrators or coaches profiled below. 5
Junior administration For general enquires please call Wayne Simmons (027 521 3513) or Huntley Quinn (021 326 461). Otherwise your age group coach will be able to answer your questions. Junior coaches Below is a brief profile of the junior coaches, all of whom are qualified lifeguards. U8s Marcus Langman (021 722 610) Marcus is a keen surfer and a dad of two Junior Surf kids and he can t think of a better place to spend his weekends than on the beach. He completed his Lifeguard Award in 2016 and like the raft of new entries into the Junior Surf team, this will be a new start for him also as he will be coaching for the first time. Marcus has a love and respect for the ocean and is looking forward to getting the new team members in the U8s comfortable with the beach environment, with a focus on fun and providing an introduction to the competition side of Surf Lifesaving. U9s Davie Jones - (021 630 433) The Peter Pan of Sumner Junior Surf, David has been coaching the juniors since his children were 9 and 4 respectively. Both have now left the ranks of Junior Surf, one having emerged as a Lifeguard and National Champion as an IRB Patient, the boy unit travelling a different path and moving in land to the mountains. David has been a Lifeguard for 8 seasons and a willing helper and coach for two years prior to that. He has a love of the surf and a passion for the sea that he brought with him from old blighty. He is looking forward to what could be his last season as a coach. U10s Huntley Quinn (021 326 461) Huntley s been involved with surf for three years as a parent helper and completed his lifeguard award two seasons ago. Two of his three kids are involved with junior surf with the third due to start next season. Huntley has a background in multisport and endurance sports, having completed the Coast to Coast three times. He has a keen interest in kayaking and ski paddling as well as recreational boating. U11s Pip Ives (027 733 6982) Pip joined Sumner in 1992 having come from the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club in Dunedin. She has had a particular competitive interest as a surf ski paddler and inflatable rescue boat (IRB) driver. Pip has won a national award for IRB driving and won a gold medal in a National Surf Sport Canoe Rescue. She has represented NZSLS in leadership and developed the Surf Alive program from Australian SLS Leadership experience. Pip was a director of both Otago and Canterbury Surf Lifesaving and leads many official areas of club duties and responsibilities. Pip has three children either involved or about to become involved in the grass roots of surf lifesaving. 6
U12s Carl Devereux (021 369 376) Carl has been involved in junior surf for three years. While relatively new to Surf Life Saving he has an extensive background in search and rescue teams and is a current member of the NZ Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue team. Carl has two daughters involved in Junior Surf. U13s Wayne Simmons (027 521 3513) Wayne joined Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club nine years ago having come from an extensive surfing and boating background. He has 40+ years surfing experience and also holds both Boatmasters and Coastal Skippers certificates. Wayne has his Lifeguard Award and has attended NZ Surf Lifesaving coaching clinics. He has two children who are involved in both Senior and Junior surf. U14s Boetie Koekemoer (021 842 384) Boetie has been a coach for nine years. He is a qualified lifeguard and also has his IRB award. He has completed his instructor s course for coaching IRB drivers as well as for junior coaching. Boetie comes from a surfing background and has surfed most beaches in South Africa where he grew up. He has two sons involved in surf lifesaving. www.sumnerslsc.co.nz 7